'5:!r««5fi3&J*iJL  * 


EDfVIN  MLLARD 


RED  FOLK  AND 

WILD  FOLK 

WITH  NUMEROUS  FULL-PAGE  COLOUR-PLATES  AFTER  PAINTLNGS 

LN  WATER-COLOUR  TOGETHER  WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS 

IN    BLACK-AND-WHITE, 

By  EDWIN  WILLARD  DE.WING 

AND  WITH  INDIAN  FOLK-LORE  STORIES  FOR  CHILDREM 

By  THERESE  0.  DEA\L\G 


NEW    YORK 

FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


TD-OUR'fWQLiYTLE  DAUGHTERS 

A! i'Al^DEN •'aKo  j^ATHRYN 

THIS  BOOK  IS  AFFECTIONATELY  DEDICATED 


CorvKicHT,  1902, 
By  FRF.DERICK  A.   STOKES  COMPANY. 

rriiuc.l    in    the   Vnited   States   of   America 


The  Old  Elk  Mamac 


"See,  the  geese  have  returned  ;  tliey  are"  flying 
to  the  North,  and  we  shall  soon  have  spring,"  said 
an  Indian  father  to  his  wife.  "To-morrow  we  will 
take  our  little  ones  and  start  for  the  mountains.  We 
are  very  poor  now,   and  we  must  lay  in  a  good  supply 

of  furs,  skins  and  dried 
meat  before  the  summer 
is  over  again. " 

Next    day  the  mother 

took  her   tiny  little    new 

baby  on    her  back,    and 

the   papa   took    his    little 

girl,   who  was  five   years 

old,  and  off  they  started 

for  the  mountains. 

They  travelled   many,  many  days,  and  at  last  the 

father  said  they  would  stop  and  camp.     So  the  mother 

put  up  the  tepee  while  the  papa  went  off  to  hunt. 

He  was  a  very  good  hunter,  and  it  was  not  very 
long  before  the  papa  had  a  nice  pile  of  warm  furs 
and  the  mama  had  quite  a  little  dried  meat  put  away 
for  the  winter  supply. 

One  morning  the  Indian  mama  put  her  baby  in 
the  litde  girl's  arms  and  said:  "  You  must  take  good 
care  of  your  little  brother,  for  I  am  going  over  the 
river  with  your  father  to  get  some  berries.  I  will  be 
back  soon."  She  got  into  the  canoe,  and  the  papa 
paddled  out  into  the  river. 

m7tW3 


IME  OLD  ELK  MAMA. 


'J  hey.  \ye.re  ialmost  in  the  middle  of  the  stream 
when  .a  -greAt  .storm  suddenK'  l)r()kc  n^ht  o\'er  them, 
and  the '  wiiVd'lashed  the  water  into  fury.  Soon  the 
canoe  was  tipped  over,  and  the  wind  blew  it  a\\a\'. 
The  lather  and  mother  could  not  sa\e  themselves  aiul 
were   drowned. 

When  night  came  on  and  the  baby's  mama  did 
not  return  he  beg^an  to  cry.  The  sister  knew  her 
baby  brother  was  hungry,  but  she  cHd  not  know  what 
to  give  him  to  eat,  because  he  had  no  teeth.  He 
cried  harder  and  harder,  and  at  last  the  little  sister 
Q;ave  him  some  dried  meat.  Thoui^h  he  could  not  eat 
it,  he  liked  the  taste  of  the  meat  and  stopped  crying 
for  a   little  while. 

Soon  the  baby  grew  so  hungry  that  he  cried 
harder  and  harder,  and  the  sister  cried  with  him  be- 
cause she  felt  so  sorry  for  her  little  brother  and  did 
not  know  how  to  help  him. 

Mother  Elk  happened  to  hear  the  child  cry.  She 
had  just  lost  her  little  baby  elk,  and  she  said  :  "  W  hy 
is  that  poor  baby  crying  ? 

"  Aly  mother  went  off  this  morning,"  answered  the 
child,  "  and  the  little  baby  is  very  hungry,  I  do  not 
know  what  to  give  him   to  eat,   for  he  has  no  teeth." 

"  I  have  plenty  of  milk,"  said  Mother  Elk  ;  "  bring 
the  child   to   me,   and   I   will  feed  him." 

The  little  girl  took  the  baby  to  Mother  Elk, 
and  when  the  child  had  taken  all  the  milk  he  wanted, 
he  stopped  crying  and  was  happy  again.  The  older 
child  ate  the  dried  meat  her  mother  had  left  behind. 


THE  OLD  ELK  MAMA.  3 

When  the  baby  had  satisfied  its  hunger,  Mother 
Elk  went  off  into  the  forests  to  feed;  but  she  always 
returned  to  give  the  baby  milk. 

Soon  the  little  girl  had  eaten  all  the  meat  her 
mother  had  left  behind,  and  she  did  not  know  how 
to  get  more,  for  she  was  herself  only  a  baby.  When 
Mother  Elk  came  to  feed  the  baby,  she  said:  "I 
have  nothing  more  to  eat,  will  you  tell  me  where  I 
can   find  food  ?  " 

"You  may  drink  some  of  my  milk,  I  have  plenty 
for  you  both;  then  you  will  not  be  hungry.  " 

The  child  thanked  her  and  it  was  not  lonsr  be- 
fore  Mother  Elk  learned  to  love  the  two  children 
very  dearly,  and  did  not  like  to  be  separated  from  them. 

W^hen    she  went    to  the  forests  to  feed,   she  took 
the   babies  with    her,  and,   when    night    came   on,   she 
took    them    back    to    the 
lodge  and    slept   outside, 
for  she  was  too  big  to  go  in. 

The  little  girl  would 
wrap  herself  and  the  baby  ; 
in  warm  furs,  and  then 
lie  as  close  to  him  as  pos- 
sible, so  that  they  should  be  warm.  They  were  not 
afraid  of  the  dark — why  should  they  be  ?  Nobody 
would  want  to  hurt  two  poor  little  children,  and  then, 
their  elk  mother  was  lying  right  outside  of  the  tepee. 

When  the  cold  winter  came  the  children  could  not 
go  out  with  Mother  Elk,  but  had  to  stay  in  the  tepee 
and  keep  warm  under  the  furs,  while  the  Elk  mother 
went  to  eat  whatever  herbs  or  qrrasses  she  could  find. 


THE  OLD  ELK  MAMA. 


1 1  liappcncd  that  sonic  Indian  hunters  came  o\'cr 
the  mountain  just  as  the  sun  was  gettnig  up  one  morn- 
ing. They  could  see  far  down  in  the  valley  a  tepee. 
Outside  of  the  tepee  were  the  sticks  set  in  the  ground, 
and  from  them  was  hanging  an  old  kettle.  No  smoke 
was  coming  out  of  the  smoke-hole  m  the  tepee,  and 
the  snow  was  piled  way  up  over  the  kettle. 

The  hunters  went  down  to  see  what  the  trouble 
might  be.  Had  all  the  Indians  been  killed  ?  There 
were  only  elk-tracks  around  the  lodge,  and  the)-  saw 
where  the  elk  had  been  sleeping.  The  kettle  had  been 
haneine  for  a  lonij  time,  and  there  were  no  sio^ns  of  life. 

They  lifted  the  fly  and  walked  in.  There,  lying 
on  the  ground,  just  as  close  together  as  they  could 
get,  were  two  little  pappooses,  amost  hidden  by  their 
covering  of  furs.  The  children  were  sleeping  soundly 
and  looked  as  happy  and  comfortable  as  if  they  were 
sleeping  at  their  own   home  in  the   Indian  \illage. 

Mother  Elk  just  came  back  at  that  moment  and 
called  the  children.  They  w^ent  out  and  had  their  break- 
fast; then  the  hunters  picked  them  up  and  carried  them 
awav.  Mother  Elk  watched  them  until  she  could  see 
them  no  more,  and  she  was  sad  again,  for  she  had  lost 
two  more  babies — at  least  she  felt  so,  for  she  had  been 
the  mother  of  the  children  so  long. 

The  men  carried  the  children  back  to  the  village 
and  gave  them  to  their  grandmother  to  bring  up.  When 
the  baby  boy  grew  to  be  a  big  man  they  called  him 
"Elk"  and  made  him  chief  of  the  elk  clan,  because,  for 
a  little  while,  he  had  been  the  baby  of  a  Mama  Elk. 


The  Punishment  of  the  Coon. 


One  cold  winter's  day,  a  coon  was  travelllnof  alone 
through  the  forests.  He  was  very  much  troubled  by 
fleas  that  kept  biting  his  back,  for  he  could  not  reach 
them  there, 

"  I  will  get  you  off  yet  ;  you  will  see  !  "  said  the 
coon,  and  he 
rubbed  his  back 
aa;ainst  the  tree- 
trunks  ;  but  the 
fleas  only  went 
deeper  into  his 
fur  and  bit  harder. 
Suddenly  he 
came  upon  a  little 
bark  hut,  far  back 
in  the  forest,  and 
he  walked  in  and 
sat    down    by    the 

fire.     The  old  wo-  ^ 

man     who    owned 
the  hut  asked  what  he  wanted,  and  the  coon  answered  : 

"  I  am  in  great  trouble.  A  great  many  fleas  are 
on  my  back,  and  I  can  neither  reach  them  nor  can 
I  rub  them  off".  If  you  will  pick  them  off  for  me,  I 
will  give  you   my  mittens  of  fur." 

The  poor  old  woman  had  a  great  many  little 
children,  from  a  tiny  baby  just  able  to  walk  to  her 
eldest  daughter  who  helped  her  a  great  deal. 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  THE  COON. 


"II  I  hcl|)  the  coon,"  she  thou^lit,  "  I  can  trade 
his  niiUcns  and  get  somcthinf];'  for  my  chikhxn  to  cat." 
So  she  said  to  the  coon  ;  "  1  will  help  you,  but  }"ou 
must  li^ive   me  your  mittens." 

The  old  woman  began  her  task.  The  coon  was 
as  large  as  a  very  big  dog  then,  and  his  back  was 
covered  with  the  wicked  little  fleas.  They  hid  deep 
in  the  fur,  and  the  woman  had  to  work  hard. 

At  last  the  task  was  finished,  and  the  coon  gave 
his  mittens,  bade  the  w^oman  good-bye  and  started  on 
his  journey.      Soon   his  hands  began   to  feel  cold. 

**  Was  I  not  foolish  to  give  my  mittens  for  such 
a  small  task  ?  "  he  thought  ;  but  he  travelled  on.  By 
and  by,  he  could  stand  the  cold  no  longer,  so  he 
went  back  again  to  the  hut  in  the  forest.  There  sat 
the  old   woman  in  the  opening. 

"  What  do  you  want  this  time  ?  "   she  asked. 

"  I  want  my  mittens  again  ;  it  is  too  cold  to 
travel  without  them  ! 

"  I  have  traded  your  mittens  for  food  for  my 
children,"  answered  the   mother. 

The  coon  was  angry,  but  he  went  away.  "  I  will 
watch  until  she  goes  out,  then  I  w^ill  go  into  the  hut 
and  find  my  mittens,"  he  thought  ;  and  he  hid  in  the 
forest  where  nobody  could  see   him. 

Next  day  the  woman  said  :  "  Children,  the  coon 
must  be  far  away  by  this  time.  I  will  go  out  and 
gather  berries  for  you  to  eat."  The  coon  saw  her  leave 
her  home,  and  then  he  crept  up  to  the  house  and 
walked   in. 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  THE  COON. 


The  children  saw  him  ;  so  they  ran  out  and  hid  in 
the  deepest  brush — all  but  the  smallest  who  could  not 
run   but  hid  under  a  wooden  bowl  and  kept  very  quiet. 

The  coon  hunted  all  o\'er  for  the  mittens  and 
could  not  find  them.  "  If  I  find  her  babies,  I  will 
make  them  tell  where  my  mittens  are,"  he  said.  At 
last  he  found  the  baby  under  the  w'ooden  bowl  : 
"  Where  are  my  mittens  ? "  he  asked,  but  she  could 
not  even  talk ; 
she  was  so 
small.  "  Tell 
me  w^here  my 
mittens  are  !  " 
}•  e  1 1  e  d  the 
coon,  and  he 
bit  the  baby's 
cheek.      That  .^^^^ 

made       the 

baby  cry,  and  the  coon  ran  away,  because  he  knew 
the  mother  would  hurry  home  when  she  heard  the 
crying,  and  then  she  would  know  who  had  bitten  the 
baby. 

When  the  mother  heard  her  baby  crying,  she 
hurried  home  and  saw  the  h'\Q-  bite  in  her  little  one's 
cheek.  She  called  her  children  ;  but  they  did  not  an- 
swer, and  she  thought  they  had  all  been  killed.  "  Who 
hurt  my  baby  ?  "  asked  the  mother,  and  the  little  one 
told  by   makino;  sii^ns  with   its  hands. 

"It  was  the  coon  !  I  will  punish  him,"  said  the 
woman,   and  off  she  ran  into  the  forest  for  some   Ion''- 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  TMR  COON. 


switches.  Then  she  started  after  the  coon.  She  found 
him.   a  great    way  off,   resting  on   a   rock   near  a  hike. 

"  I  ha\'e  }-OLi  !  Why  did  you  kill  my  children  and 
hite  my  little  one  ?  There  !  there  !  and  there  !  "  and 
the  woman  hit  so  hard  that  she  raised  great  black  and 
blue  stripes. 

With  each  stroke  the  coon  became  smaller,  and 
when   he  was  very  small,   the   woman   said  : 

"  You  will  always  carry  the  marks  of  my  beating, 
and  neither  you  nor  any  of  }'our  family  will  e\'er  grow 
anv  bii£iifer  than   \'ou   are   now." 

The  coon  has  remained  small  and  carries  the  black 
marks  of  his  beating  to  this  day. 

The  frogs  in  the  lake  heard  the  noise  and  came 
to  the  top  to  see  what  could  be  the  matter.  The  an- 
imals of  the  forest,   also  crept  out    and   watched. 

"  Croak,  croak,  croak  !  "  laughed  the  frogs,  and 
that  made  the  coon  terribly  angry,  so  he  answered  ; 
"  I  will  eat  you  in  the  future  and  spare  none  of  your 
family  ;  "  but  the  frogs  onl}-  laughed  harder,  and  the 
other  animals  laughed   with   them. 

After  the  old  woman  \vas  gone  the  coon  rushed 
at  the  frogs,  but  they  splashed  into  the  water  out  of  his 
reach.  The  foxes  and  bears  rushed  at  him,  laughing, 
and  the  coon  had  to  run  and  hide  from  the  big  ani- 
mals, as   he  has   had  to  do  ever  since. 

Since  then  the  little  Indian  children  have  hunted 
the  coon  with  their  bows  and  arrows,  for  they  love 
to  eat  his  flesh. 


QmfiEmnc^M 


The  Old  Woman  and  the  Moose=Snake. 

In  a  little  village,  on  the  shore  of  a  great  lake, 
lived  a  poor  old  Indian  woman.  She  had  no  friends 
to  love  her,  and,  because  she  was  so  poor,  nobody 
would  have  anything  to  do  with  her. 

One  day,  while  she  was  sitting  alone  on  the  shore 

of  the  lake,  she  saw 
the  great  moose-snake 
(M'sas-sook)  stick  his 
head  out  of  the  water. 
She  was  not  afraid  of 
hmi,  because  he  was 
always  good  to  the  In- 
dians ;  but  she  knew 
^  -Ti^  there  would  be  a  great 

storm,  for,  whenever 
the  snake  rose  straight  out  of  the  water,  the  thunder 
and  lightning  came  down  to  drive  him  back  again. 

M'sas-sook  (king  of  the  waters)  had  a  gold  medal 
on  each  side  of  his  head.  The  old  woman  saw  them 
shine,  and  she  thought  :  "  If  I  had  those  bright  pieces 
from  the  head  of  the  moose-snake,  I  should  always 
have  good  luck.  I  wnll  ask  him  for  them."  That 
night,  the  old  woman  did  not  return  to  her  hut,  but 
went  into  the  forests  and  waited  on  the  shore  of  a 
small  lake,  through  which  she  knew  the  moose-snake 
would  have  to  pass,  on  his  w^ay  over  the  mountams, 
as  he  travelled   from   one   body  of    water    to    another 


a  THE  OLD  WOMAN  AND  THE  MOOSE-SNAKE. 

She  could  onlv  think  ot  her  troubles  : — "  How  lonely 
I  am  ;  I  haw  no  friends  to  comfort  me,  and,  if  it  were 
not  lor  m\-  poor  bark  hut,  the  north  winds  would  freeze 
me,  or  the  wild  beasts  would  devour  me.  M'sas-sook 
will  take  pity  when  he  hears  my  story  ;  he  is  always 
good  to  the  Indians.  What  is  that  noise  !  "  She 
turned  and  saw  the  great  snake,  coming  toward  her. 
She  was  frightened  when  she  saw  him,  with  his  great 
moose-horns  and  big,  round,  snake  body,  and  felt  like 
running  away  ;  but  she   knew   he  would   not   hurt   her. 

M'sas-sook  saw  the  woman,  as  he  was  about  to 
enter  the  lake. 

"What  do  you  want  of  me  ?"  he  asked. 

M'sas-sook,  give  me  the  golden  medals  from  your 
head.  I  need  them  very  much  ;  all  my  people  dislike 
me  because  I  am  poor,  and  they  will  have  nothing 
to  do  with  me.  If  you  will  give  me  your  medals, 
I  shall  be  happy,  and  my  people  will  be  kind  to  me. 
Please  give  me  the  medals  ! 

"  I  will  let  you  take  one  of  my  medals,  but  I 
must  keep  the  other,"  said  M'sas-sook,  and  the  poor 
woman  took  one  of  the  medals  from  the  head  of  the 
great  moose-snake.  She  thanked  him  for  his  kindness 
and  started  for  her  village.  She  was  a  very  happy  old 
woman,  and  she  thought  as  she  hurried  along,  "  Now 
my  people  will  love  me,   and   I   shall  have  friends." 

Night  overtook  her  before  she  was  out  of  the 
woods  ;  so  she  lay  down  on  the  bank  of  a  lake  to  rest. 
She  was  tired  and  soon  fell  fast  asleep  ;  but,  suddenlv 
she  sat  up  and   was  wide  awake    in    a    moment.      She 


THE  OLD  WOMAN  AND  THE  MOOSE=SNAKE. 


heard  a  strange  noise  ;  what  could  it  mean  ?  All 
around  her,  staring  through  the  darkness,  were  the 
bright  eyes  of  many  wild  animals.  The  old  woman 
was  terribly  frightened. 

"  What  do  you  want  of  me  ?  "  she  asked.  "  You 
have  one  of  the  medals  from  the  head  of  the  moose- 
snake,  and  we  have  come  to  help  you,"  answ^ered  a 
voice  from  one  of  the  animals. 

"  You  can  do  nothing  for  me,  you  are  only  an- 
imals,  and   I   am  a  poor,   lonely  old  woman." 

"  We  can  give  you  furs  and  skins  ;  then  you 
will  be  rich  among  your  people,"  answered  the  voice, 
and  each  of  the  animals  gave  the  woman  meat  and 
furs,  so  she  should  have  plenty.  Then  they  stared 
at  her  out  of  the  darkness. 

Thoufjh  she  knew  M'sas-sook  had  sent  the  an- 
imals,  the  old  woman 
was  afraid.  She  gladly 
w^elcomed  the  grey 
dawn,  when  she  bade 
the  animal  people  good- 
bye, and  started,  on  her 
journey  home,  this  time 
with  arms  full  of  riches. 
Her  people  were  sur- 
prised when  she  entered  the  village,  and  treated  her 
more  kindly.  She  told  how  M'sas-sook  had  let  her 
take  one  of  his  medals,  and  then  they  knew  she  would 
always  have  plent}^  of  everything. 

When  darkness  came  again,  she  went  to  her  poor 


4  THE  OLD  WOMAN  AND  THE  MOOSE-SNAKE. 

hut  to  sleep.  She  woultl  not  leave  it,  though  many 
of  her  people  asked  her  to;  for  this  bark  hut  had  been 
her  onlv  friend,  and  she  would  always  lo\e  it.  With 
the  night  came  the  many  mysterious  animals  and  the 
great,  staring  eyes,  looking  out  of  the  darkness. 
"What  do  you  want  of  me  this  time?"  asked  the 
woman.  "You  have  one  of  the  medals  from  the  head 
of  M'sas-sook,  and  we  have  come  to  help  you,"  an- 
swered a  \H)ice  from  one  of  the  animals. 

"But,  you  gave  me  many  things  last  night,  and 
I   am  rich  among  my   people  now!" 

As  they  had  done  the  night  before,  the  animals  left 
many  furs,  skins,  and  a  great  deal  of  meat.  Then  they 
stayed,  staring  through  the  night, until  the  morning  light 
broke  through  the  darkness, when  they  disappeared,  and 
the  woman  did  not  know  where  they  had  come  from, 
nor  where  they  had  gone.  When  the  people  came  to 
see  her,   they  saw  all  the  things   M'sas-sook  had  sent. 

The  old  woman  wore  the  medal  about  her  neck, 
fastened  to  a  buckskin  string,  so  that  she  should  not 
lose  It.  She  loved  to  walk  through  the  village  and  hear 
the  happy  laughter  of  the  children  as  they  hurried  to 
greet  her.  Everybody  and  everything  loved  her;  even 
the  dogs  would  try  to  push  the  children  aside  in  their 
eaeerness  to  be  close  to  her,  and  she  could  never 
thank  the  great  snake  enough    for  all    her   happiness. 


Who  Makes  the  Echo  ? 


Turtle-dove,  a  young  Indian  mother,  had  two 
Httle  children  whom  she  loved  very  dearly.  When 
she  went  into  the  forests  to  gather  herbs  and  berries, 
she  always  took  them  with  her.  She  started  for  the 
forests  very  early  one  morning  and  went  farther  than 
usual.  Because  she  was  tired  from  carrying  her  sleep- 
ing   child    on    her   back,    she    gave    him    to   his    little 

sister  and  put 
her  under  a 
sage  bush. 
"  Take  care  of 
your  brother 
for  me  ;  I  will 
be  back  soon," 
said  the  mother, 
and  the  child 
promised  she 
would  be  kind  to  the  little  baby. 

The  mother  wandered  away  and  had  gone  some 
distance,  when  the  little  girl  saw  an  old  woman, 
standing  in  front  of  her. 

"Is  that  your  baby  brother?"  asked  the  old 
woman. 

The  little  girl  was  afraid  ;  she  thought  the  woman 
must  be  a  witch,  and  witches  took  little  boys  away. 
She  held  her  little  brother  close  and  answered,  "  No, 
this  is  my  little  sister." 

"  You   naughty,    naughty  child,  don't  you  know  it 


WHO  A\AKES  THE  ECHO? 


Is  \-cry  wrong  for  little  girls  to  say  what  is  not  true  ?" 
and  the  old  witch  looked  so  anirrv,  that  the  little  eirl 
was  frightened  ;  then  the  old  woman  seized  the  baby 
brother  and   ran   off  with   him. 

She  carried  hnn  to  licr  home,  far  up  in  tlie 
mountain,  and  laid  him  on  the  ground.  "  I  have 
alwa}'S  wanted  a  husband,"  said  the  witch.  "  I  will 
make  this  baby  into  a  man,  then  I  will  marry 
hmi." 

She  took  the  baby  by  one  little  leg  and  pulled 
and  pulled,  until  it  was  very  long  ;  then  she  took  the 
other  leg  and  stretched  it,  until  both  legs  were  the 
same  leno^th.  The  witch  had  made  the  babv  into  a 
tall  man,  but  he  still  had  his  baby  arms  ;  so  she 
cauoht  him  bv  the  shoulders  with  one  hand  and  with 
the  other  pulled  an  arm.  It  grew  longer  and  longer, 
and  she  took  the  baby's  other  arm  and  pulled  it  in 
the  same  way  ;  and  soon   her  husband  had  long  arms  ! 

Meanwhile  Turtle-dove  went  back  and  found  her 
little  daughter  alone,  sitting  under  the  sage  bush,  cr)- 
ing  very  hard  because  the  baby  was  gone. 

"  Wdiere   is  my  baby  ?  "  asked  the    poor  mother. 

*'  The  witch  took  him  away  from  me,"  answered 
the  little  girl.      The  mother  was  almost  crazy. 

Turtle-dov^e's  brother,  the  Eagle,  travelled  day  and 
night  over  all  the  land,  and  at  last  he  heard  a  strange 
voice.  He  went  nearer  and  saw  Sage-cock,  the 
witch's  husband.  Then  he  returned  and  told  the 
mother  what  he  had  seen  and  heard. 

"If   it    be    my    baby,    he   will    know    mv   voice," 


WHO  MAKES  THE   ECHO? 


said  the   mother,   and    she    hurried    to    the   place    and 
chmbed  a  cedar  tree  and  began  to  mourn. 

When  the  boy  heard  the  sound  of  his  mother's 
voice,  he  cried  :  "I  hear  my  mother  ;  my  mother  is 
calHng  me  !  "  Then  the  witch  turned  him  back  into  a 
baby  and  hid  him  in  a  hollow  tree;  and  she  too  got  into 
it.      "  They  will  never  look  here  for  us,"  she  thought. 

"  Sister,"  said  the  eagle,  "  before  long  the  old 
woman  will  be  hungry  ;  then  they  will  have  to  leave 
their  hiding-place.  I  will 
put  a  rabbit  in  the  top  of 
this  tree,  and  then  I  wdl 
cut  off  the  bark  and  thm 
the  branches,  so  that  the 
witch  will  have  a  hard  time 
chmbmg  for  the  food." 

The  witch  smclled  the 
food  and  came  out  to  find 
it.  She  tried  to  climb  the 
tree,  but  it  was  very  slip- 
pery, and  she  would  climb 
up  a  little  way,  only  to  slip  back  again. 

While  the  witch  was  trying  to  get  the  food,  the 
eagle  took  the  baby  from  his  hiding-place  and  carried 
him  to  the  delighted  mother ;  then  he  flew  up  into 
the  clouds  and  ordered  a  storm. 

When  the  witch  returned  and  found  the  baby 
gone,  she  was  angry  and  looked  around  for  tracks  ; 
the  rain  had  washed  them  all  away,  but  it  did  not 
hide  the  three  feathers  the  eagle  had  dropped. 


4  WHO  MAKES  THE  ECHO? 

**  Now  I  know  ! "  cried  the  witch  ;  "  It  was  the 
eagle.  I  must  go  to  my  grantltathcr,  the  rattlesnake, 
for  protection. " 

The  rattlesnake  was  asleep  on  a  njck,  and  did 
not  want  to  l)e  disturbed,  so  when  the  witch  called 
him,  he  answered,  "  Go  back  to  your  home  ;  I  do  not 
want  you  here  !  " 

"  Oh,  help  me,  grandfather,  or  the  eagle  will 
catch  me  !  "  begged  the  witch. 

"  Crawl  into  my  stomach."  The  old  witch  did 
as  he  told  her,  and  then,  the  rattlesnake  became  so 
ill  that  he  feared  he  should  die.  He  told  her  to  come 
out  again,  but  she  would  not.  At  last,  in  his  terrible 
pain,  he  crawled  out  of  his  skin  and  left  the  witch 
inside.  When  she  found  she  could  not  get  out  of  the 
skin,   she  rolled  about  and  hid  in  the  rocks. 

Since  that  day,  the  rattlesnakes  lose  their  skins 
every  year. 

The  eagle  was  hunting  for  the  old  witch,  and  he 
kept  calling,  "  Old  witch,  old  witch  !  Where  are 
you  ? "  and  the  old  witch  mocked  everything  he  said, 
rolling  farther  and  farther  away  all  the  time,  so  that 
he  could  not  find  her. 

Since  then  litde  Indian  children  say  it  is  only 
ignorant  people  who  think  they  hear  the  echo  and  do 
not  know  it  is  only  the  angry  witches  they  hear, 
mocking  them  ;  because  the  witches  can  never  frighten 
or  carry  off  children  any  more.  They  cannot  even 
travel  about  in  the  sunshine,  for  they  always  have  to 
stav  in   their  rattlesnake-skin   homes. 


The  Coyote  Bringing  Fire  to  the  Red  People. 

There  was  once  a  time  when  the  Indians  had 
no  fire,  but  had  to  hvc  on  herbs,  berries,  plants  and 
such  other  things  as  could  be  eaten  raw.  They  did 
not  eat  fish  or  flesh,  because  they  had  no  fire  to  cook 
with. 

When  the  cold  winter  came,  the  people  could 
not  keep  warm,  and  asked  the  animal  people  for  some 

-f^^      of    their     fire  ; 
-#^      -:*'     5.     but     the     ani- 
mals had  none 
to  give. 

The  red  peo- 
ple knew  where 
fire  was  kept  ; 
but  no  man 
had  ever  dared 
go  to  the  place  where  the  Great  Spirit  had  hidden  it 
in  a  casket  and  had  set  two  old  has^s  on  s^uard,  so 
that  man  could  not  steal   it. 

Now  it  happened  that  man  had  been  very  kind 
to  the  coyote  in  his  hour  of  need  ;  so  the  coyote 
promised  to  bring  the  much-needed  fire  to  man,  and 
called  together  all  the  animals.  He  told  them  how 
he  planned  to  get  fire  and  asked  if  they  would  help 
him,  and  as  all  the  animals  were  willing,  he  selected 
one  of  each  kind,  from  the  cougar  down  to  the  poor 
little  frog. 

"  I   will  station  you  all   along  the    trail,   from  the 


2  THf:  COVOTI;   HRINCiINO   F-IRE  TO  THR  KHD    PEOPLE. 

settlement  ot  man  to  the  distant  home  of  the  Great 
vSpint,  where  the  hags  guard  the  hre,"  said  the  coyote. 
"  1  he  frog,  because 'he  is  weakest,  shall  he  stationed 
nearest  home,  and  so  in  turn  each  annual,  until  the 
cougar  shall  ha\'e  his  {)ost  nearest  the  fire  —  for  you 
are  stronger  than  the  others,  cougar.  I  will  steal  the 
fire  and  run  wqth  it  to  the  cougar;  he  will  take  it 
and  })ass  it  on  ;  and  each  animal,  in  turn,  will  run 
his  best,  so  that  the  old  hags  cannot  get  the  fire 
away  from   hmi." 

Then  the  coyote  went  to  the  Indian  camp  and 
took  one  of  the  red  men  with  him.  He  placed  him 
under  a  hill  near  the  old  hags'  cabin,  w^ent  to  the 
door,   and   knocked. 

One  of  the  old  hags  opened  the  door,  and  the 
coyote  said,    "Good  evening." 

"  Good  evening,"  answered  the  old  woman. 

"It  is  a  cold  night.  Will  you  not  let  me  come 
In  and  sit  by   your  fire  ? " 

"  Yes ;  come  in,"  and  the  coyote  went  in  and 
stretched  himself  before  the  fire.  He  reached  his 
nose  toward  the  warm  blaze,  sniffed  the  heat,  and  felt 
very  comfortable.  Then  he  stretched  his  head  along 
his  forepaws  and   pretended  to   sleep. 

He  kept  the  corner  of  one  eye  open  to  watch 
the  hags  ;  but,  as  they  had  been  set  by  the  Great 
Spirit  to  watch  the  fire,  they  never  slept  day  or 
night.  Thus  the  coyote's  night  of  watching  and 
thinking  was  all  to  no  purpose ;  he  might  as  well 
have  slept. 


THE  COYOTE  BRINGING  FIRE  TO  THE  RED  PEOPLE.  3 

Next  morning  he  went  out  to  the  Indian  whom 
he  had  hidden  under  the  hill,  and  said  :  "  I  have  not 
been  successful ;  the  hags  watch  the  fire  all  the  time. 
I  will  go  back  agam,  and,  when  I  am  ni  the  cabin, 
you  must  make  a  rush  as  if  you  were  going  to  steal 
some  fire,  and  then,  while  they  are  trying  to  keep 
you  back,    I   will  steal   it." 

That    night    the    coyote    went    back    again.       He 
knocked,  and  when  he  asked  to  go  in  again  the  hags 
said  he  might  ;  for 
they  did  not  think 
a   c  o  )■  o  t  e    could 
steal   fire. 

He  stood  close 
to  the  casket  and, 
when  the  Indian 
made  a  great  rush 
toward  the  cabin, 
the  coyote  seized  a  brand  of  fire  in  his  teeth  and  ran 
out  of  the  other  door. 

He  skimmed  over  the  fjround  ;  but  the  old  ha<js 
saw  the  sparks  flying  and  gave  chase.  They  gained 
on  hini  fast,  and  he  was  all  out  of  breath,  when  he 
reached  the  cougar,  who  did  not  lose  an  instant,  but 
ran  to  the  next  animal — the  old  hags  always  follow- 
ing, and  each  animal  having  very  little  time  to  spare 
before  the  hags  came   up. 

Next  to  the  last  came  the  ground  squirrel.  He 
snatched  the  burning  brand  from  the  rabbit,  just  as 
the   hags    came    up,   and    he    almost    flew  along.      He 


4  THE  COVOTH  BRINCjINQ   FIRH  TO  TH:-    RHD  PEOPLE. 

went  so  fast  that  his  tail  caught  lire,  and,  as  he  held 
it  curled  over  his  hack  to  kee|)  it  out  of  his  way,  it 
burned  a  black  spot  behind  his  shoulders,  which  is 
there   to   this   da\-. 

He  was  almost  out  of  breath  and  so  tired  he 
could  not  take  another  step,  when  he  reached  the 
froQf.  The  hairs  were  almost  at  his  heels.  The  fros^ 
opened  his  mouth  very  wide,  and  the  squirrel  threw 
the  fire  into  it.  lie  swallowed  it  at  a  gulp  and  then 
turned  to  take  a  great  jump,  for  the  poor  fellow  could 
not  run. 

The  hags  were  so  close  behind  that  they  seized 
him  by  the  tail  and  tweaked  it  off,  for  he  was  a  tad- 
pole then,  and  that  is  the  reason  frogs  have  no  tails 
to  this  day. 

The  hags  were  sure  of  capturing  their  fire  then  ; 
but,  in  the  little  moment  they  gave  the  frog,  he 
jumped  into  the  water  and  swam  under  it  for  a  long 
time — as  long  as  he  could  possibly  hold  his  breath. 
Then  he  came  up  and  spat  the  fire  into  a  log  of  drift- 
wood,  where  it  has  staid  ever  since. 

After  that  when  the  Indians  wanted  fire  they 
needed  only  to  rub  two  sticks  together,  and  the  fire 
rame   forth. 


The  Gratitude  of   Rabbit. 


Poor  little  rabbit  had  lost  his  parents,  and  he 
was  all  alone   in  the  world.    He  was  such  a  tiny  little 

fellow  that 
he  c  ou  1  d 
not  take 
care  of 
hmiself  or 
find  any- 
thing      to 

An     old 
woman 
was      pass- 
i  n  g      his 
home  one  day,  and  she   heard  baby  rabbit  crying. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  she  asked,  and  he  answered, 
"  I  am  alone  and  have  no  one  to  help  me  get  anything 
to  eat.    I   am  so  hungry!" 

The  woman  took  pity  on  the  little  fellow  and 
carried  him  home  with  her.  "I  have  not  much,"  she 
said;  "but  I  can  always  share  what  I  have  with  a 
fellow  sufferer. " 

She  fed  baby  rabbit  and  grew  to  be  very  fond  of 
hmi.  Little  rabbit  always  lived  with  her,  and  he  grew 
and  grew  until  he  was  very  big;  but  he  never  helped 
the  woman  bring  food  home — perhaps  because  she  did 
not  ask  him. 


vv^^^. 


r.iH  (JRATITL'DB  OF  RABHIT. 


"What  coLild  a  jxjor  little  fellow  like  that  do?  " 
thought   she. 

As  the  years  rolled  hv,  the  woman  kept  getting 
older  and  older,  until  it  was  \ery  hard  for  her  to  supply 
the  tiniest  bit  of  food,  or  to  gather  a  few  small  twigs  for 
the  fire. 

One  (Lay,  after  she  had  with  difficulty  stored  up 
a  small  sujjply  of  food  and  firewood,  she  said  to  rabbit: 

"  My  son,  I  am  getting  very  old,  I  cannot  gather 
any  more  herbs  and  berries,  and,  after  we  ha\e  eaten 
what  I  hav^e  here,  we  shall  have  to  starv^e;but  let  us 
enjoy  what  we    have.  Then    we    can    die  together. " 

So  they  lived  on  the  little  supply,  and,  when  all 
was  gone  and  the  fire  out,  rabbit  said:  "Mother,  you 
were  kind  to  me  in  my  time  of  need;  now  I  will  help 
take  care  of  you.  I  will  catch  you  some  fish  if  you  wall 
let  me  go. 

The  old  woman  said  he  might  try ;  but  she  thought : 
"How  can  little  rabbit  catch  fish?" 

Rabbit  took  the  net  and  set  it  in  a  lake  where 
he  knew  there  were  many  fish ;  then  he  returned  home 
for  the  night,  bringing  some  berries  for  the  old  woman 
to  eat.  Next  morning,  very  early,  he  started  for  the 
lake.  When  he  reached  his  net,  he  lifted  one  corner 
and  found  there  was  a  fish  in  every  mesh.  He  shook 
out  some,  for  he  would  not  need  so  many  at  once,  and 
then  he  pulled  in  the  net,  gathered  together  the  fish, 
and  started  for  home. 

"See,  mother,  I  have  brought  you  many  fish; 
now  we    shall    not    starve  for   I   can    help  you!"  cried 


THE  GRATITUDE  OF  RABBIT.  3 

rabbit  as  he  nearcd  the  hut.  "  That  is  nice,"  an- 
swered the  woman  ;  "  but  our  fire  is  out,  and  we  can- 
not cook  them."  "  I  will  get  you  some  fire,  while 
you  clean  the  fish."  So  rabbit  bade  the  woman  good- 
bye and  started  for  the  river,  carrying  his  net  under 
his  arm. 

When  rabbit  reached  the  river,  he  called  the  big 
fish  and  told  them  to  make  a  bridge,  so  that  he  could 
cross  the  water.  The  fish  did  as  rabbit  said,  and, 
after  he  was  on  the  other  side,  he  told  the  fish  to 
swim  away  ;  then  he  jumped  into  the  water,  so  that 
his  fur  should  be  wet,  and  lay  down  on  the  bank, 
pretending  to  be  dead. 

He  was  not  very  far  from  an  Indian  village,  and 
soon  the  Indian  children  came  to  play  on  the  sandy 
bank.  One  of  the 
boys  found  rabbit, 
carried  him  home  ; 
and  told  where  he 
had  found  him. 

**  Carry  him  to  jT'  ^ 
the  iron  kettle,  n.^ 
where  there  is  a 
big  fire,"  said  the 
father,  and  the  boy 
put  rabbit  down  to 
skin   him. 

Poor  rabbit  was  terribly  frightened  and  opened 
just  a  corner  of  one  eye  to  see  if  there  were  any  way 
to  escape.      He  saw  a    big   round    hole    right    in    the 


THE  GRATITUDE  OF"  RAIiMIT. 


top  of  the  tepee.  Then  he  said,  very  softly :  "  Fire, 
throw  a  spark  upon  my  net  !  "  Instantly  the  firewood 
snapped,  and  a  great  spark  set  his  net  on  tire.  Rab- 
bit was  afraid  of  the  hre  ;  but  he  sprang  out  of  the 
hole  in  the  top  of  the  tepee  and  pulled  the  net  out 
after  huii. 

When  the  Indians  saw  they  had  been  outwitted 
by  rabbit,  they  gave  chase,  and  the  little  fellow  had 
to  run  faster  and  faster,  so  that  when  he  came  to  the 
bank  of  the  river  he  could  not  stop  himself  but  gave 
one  great  leap  and  jumped  clear  over  the  river,  and 
the  Indians  could  not  catch  him.  Then  he  examined 
his  net,  and  the  fire  was  still  smouldering  ;  so  he 
hurried  home,  and  the  old  woman  fanned  it  back  to 
life  again.  Then  rabbit  gathered  twigs  and  they  kept 
the  fire  burning. 

So  it  was  that  rabbit  showed  his  gratitude  to  the 
old  woman  who  had  been   kind   to  him. 


How  a  Mother  Bear  Saved  a  Little  Red  Baby. 


One  clay  a  young  Indian  lumter  took  an  Indian 
maiden  for  his  wife,  and  the  two  started  off  for  the 
mountains,  to  hunt.  They  w^ere  very  successful  in 
gettmg  furs  and  skins,  and  there  had  come  to  them 
a  dear  little  black-haired,  black-eyed  baby  boy. 

The    little    boy    was  about    two   years    old,    when 

the  papa  and  mama  de- 
cided to  return  to  their 
home.  All  the  things 
were  packed  ;  the  papa 
lifted  the  baby  to  the 
mother's  back  ;  and  off 
they  started. 

One  morning  the 
papa    said  :     "  We  will 
stay  here.      I   see  many 
bear-tracks,  and   I   must  get  a  big  bear." 

The  mother  prepared  to  stay,  and,  while  she  was 
busy,  the  boy  played  around  the  lodge ;  but,  w^hen 
she  looked  up  from  her  work,   the  baby  was  gone. 

"  He  has  gone  into  the  lodge  to  sleep,"  thought 
the  woman. 

Soon   the  papa  returned   and  asked   for  his  hoy. 
"  He    has    gone    into    the    lodge    to    sleep,"   an- 
swered the  mother. 

When  the  dish  of  dried-meat  stew  was  set  on 
the  mat,   for  the  father  to  eat,  he  said  : 


i  HOW  A  MOTHRR  BEAR  5AVED  A  LITTLE   RED   BABY. 

"  The-  1)()\'  must  be  hungr\',  I  will  call  him. 
Come,  little  warrior,  eat!  Father  wants  to  see  his 
httle  hunter."  The  ba])y  did  not  answer,  so  the 
hunter  went  to  get  his  boy  ;  but  the  Ijaby  was  not 
in  the  lodge. 

The  meal  was  forgotten,  and  both  started  to 
search   for  him. 

The  baby  had  played  around  the  lodge  for  a 
long  time,  and  he  saw  the  little  birds  fl\'ing  al:)out. 
It  was  late  in  the  autumn,  and  the  dead  leax'es  were 
lying  all  over  the  ground.  As  the  little  fellow  trotted 
through  them,  he  thought  they  were  singing  to  him ; 
so  he  talked  to  them  in  his  baby  language,  and  they 
became   his  friends. 

He  went  on  and  on,  as  lomj  as  he  heard  the 
sonQf  of  the  leaves  and  the  chatterinij  of  the  little 
birds.  Often  little  rabbits  jumped  across  his  path  ; 
they  were  not  afraid  of  such  a  little  fellow  and  sat 
upon  their  haunches  to  see  what  new  kind  of  animal 
he  might  be. 

By  and  by,  the  birds  went  to  sleep  ;  the  forest 
became  dark  ;  and  the  little  boy  could  not  see.  Then 
he  thought  of  his  mama  and   papa  and   began   to  cry. 

When  a  little  child  cries  because  he  is  hungry, 
his  voice  often   sounds  like  that  of  a  baby  bear. 

A  big  mama  bear  was  just  coming  through  the 
leaves,  and,  when  she  heard  the  baby  crying,  she 
began  to  hunt  f)r  what  she  thought  was  a  lost  baby 
bear,   and  at  last  she   found   him. 

She  took  him   in   her    arms  and   curled  her  furrv 


HOW  A  MOTHER  BEAR  SAVED  A  LITTLE  RED  BABY.  3 

body  around  him,  so  that  he  should  be  warm,  and 
he  stopped  crying  and  fell  sound  asleep. 

When  the  little  fellow  awakened  in  the  mornino-. 
he  seemed  contented. 

The  mother  bear  was  sure  this  funny  little  bear 
w^as  hungry,  so  she  tried  to  get  the  baby  to  follow 
her,  but  he  did  not  understand.  She  went  to  the 
little  boy's  side,  raised  herself  on  her  hind  legs,  and 
walked  away,  just  as  she  wanted  the  baby  to  do  ;  but 
the  boy  thought  this  was  so 
funny  that  he  only  laughed. 
When  the  bear  saw  that 
the  baby  did  not  follow  her,  i^ 
she  went  back  on  her  four 
legs  and  started  over  again, 

and    this    she  did    until    the  'M^^,.,^:-.-,...,  iml^v 

boy  understood    and   trotted     <*l(iP^^8Kf'  ^i*^ 

after  her.  As  long  as  the  baby  followed,  the  mother 
bear  went  right  on,  but  when  he  stopped  she  went 
back  to  ofet  him  aijain. 

At  last  they  reached  the  beech-nut  grove,  and  the 
mother  bear  took  her  big  paw  and  brushed  away  the 
leaves  until  she  found  many  beech-nuts.  The  baby 
saw  the  mama  bear  take  a  mouthful  of  nuts  and  eat 
them;  so  he  thought  he  would  try  some  too.  How 
good  they  tasted  to  the  hungry  baby. 

Bye  and  bye  the  bear  coaxed  the  baby  to  a 
streamlet,  put  her  mouth  to  the  water  and  drank  ; 
then  baby  got  dow^n  on  his  hands  and  knees  and 
drank  as  he  saw  the  bear  do. 


4  HOW    A   MOTHER    BEAR   SAVED  A    LITTLE   RED    BABY. 

When  night  came  on  the  hear  took  the  child  to 
her  ca\'e  in  the  mountain,  took  him  in  her  arms  and 
kept   him   warm   until   morning. 

The  boy  was  happy,  and  he  did  not  miss  his  mother 
and  father  who  had  searched,  as  they  thought,  all 
through  the  forests.  They  looked  for  man)-  days 
without  success  and  at  last  started  for  their  home, 
mourning.  They  thought  their  baby  must  have  died 
of  hunger  and  cold,  or  else  the  w^ild  beasts  had 
eaten  it. 

The  mother  told  her  people  what  had  happened 
and  asked,  "What  shall  we  do?"  "Go  ask  the 
wizard,  —  he  will  know,  for  he  is  a  very  wise  man." 

The  mother  and  father  took  furs  and  skins 
as  presents,  and  went  to  the  wizard's  hut.  He  was 
sitting  before  a  low  fire,  stirring  herbs  for  medicine. 
"O  grandfather,"  begged  the  unhappy  mother,  "tell 
me  is  our  little  one  dead,  or  is  he  still  alive?" 

The  old  man  answered  :  "Your  child  is  alive,  he  Is 
well  ;  go  into  the  forest,  search,  and  you  will  find  him." 

The  mother  and  father  hurried,  and  all  the  peo- 
ple followed  to  the  camp  where  the  baby  had  been 
lost ;  then  men,  women,  and  children  hunted  in  all 
du'ections. 

One  day  an  Indian  reached  the  beech-nut  grove, 
where  the  bear  was  gathering  nuts  ;  she  led  the  way 
to  her  cave,  and  there  was  the  lost  baby. 

The  boy  grew  up  to  be  a  great  hunter  ;  but  he 
always  respected  the  bears  and  would  never  hurt  or 
kill   them,   for  they  had  saved  his  baby  life. 


Why  Ducks  Have  Short  Tails  and  the  Coon 
Must  Go  Barefooted. 


Ever  since  the  coon  was  made  small  he  has 
played  all  sorts  of  tricks  on  the  animal  people,  to  get 
the  kind  of  food  he  liked  best.  Once  he  caught  a 
frog  sitting  upon  a  rock  by  the  side  of  a  lake.  In 
the  lake  lived  many  little  fish,  and  the  coon  wanted 
them  ;  so  he  told  the  frog  to  go  down  into  the  water 
and  tell  the  fish  to  shut  their  eyes  and  swmi  about 
in     the     warm, 

spring      sun-  .      ,    .,...,_      .    -- 

shine. 

"If  you  prom- 
ise to  do  as  I 
say,"  said  the 
coon,  "  I  will 
let  you  go." 

Of  course  the 
frog  did  not 
want     to      be 

eaten  ;  so  he  promised,  and  down  he  went  into  the 
water  and  sent  the  poor  little  fish  to  be  eaten  by  the 
hungry  coon.  They  swam  to  the  top,  and,  before  any 
of  them  knew  what  was  happening,  the  coon  had  eaten 
all  he  wanted.  That  was  why  the  fish  became  ene- 
mies of  the  froo^,  and  now  the  fish  eat  froijs  whenever 
they  catch   them. 

After    the    coon  had    eaten    all   the    breakfast    he 


3         WHY  DUCK5  HAVE  SHORT  TAILS  AND  THE  COON  MUST  (lO  IJAKEFOOl  LL) 

wanted,  he  went  to  sleep  and  did  not  awaken  all  tlay 
imtil  it  was  getting  dark  ;  then  he  opened  his  eyes 
and  hurried  to  find  his  SLH)per,  for  he  was  hungry 
ao^ain.  "  I  will  look  for  a  froor,"  he  thouuht,  aiul 
hunted  all  around  the  lake  ;  but  he  could  not  find  one. 
Then  he  put  his  hands  into  all  the  little  holes  around 
the  edge,   and  still   he  could  not  catch  a  frog. 

"  I  must  have  some  more  fish,"  said  the  coon. 
"  Frogs,  frogs  !  "  but  the  frogs  were  afraid  to  come 
and   only  answered,   "  croak,   croak." 

"  They  say,  '  Drink !  Drink  !  '  "  thought  the 
coon,  and  he  went  to  the  water  to  drink.  Then  he 
called  again. 

"  Croak,   croak,   croak,"  answered  the  frogs, 

"  Wh)'  do  you  sav,  'drink  more  water '  .'^  I  can- 
not drink  any  more,    I    am  hungry  !  " 

"  Croak,   croak,   croak,"  answered  the  frogs. 

"  I  will  not  listen  to  your  stupid,  '  Croak,  croak, 
croak,'   I  am   hungry  !  "  called   the  coon   impatiently. 

As  the  coon  started  to  go  away,  he  looked  far 
out  on  the  lake,  and  there  he  saw  some  ducks  swim- 
ming about,  with  their  beautiful  long  tails  spread  out 
on  top  of  the  water.  Ducks  had  long  tails  in  those 
days,  and  they  were  very  proud  of  them.  "  I  shall 
get  some  supper  now,"  thought  the  delighted  coon. 
"  I  will  play  a  trick  on  those  vain  old  ducks."  So 
he  built  a  good  big  fire  on  top  of  a  little  ridge,  and 
then  he  lay  down,  pretending  to  be  dead.  He  knew 
the  inquisitive  ducks  would  want  to  find  out  what  it 
all   mio'ht   mean.      Pretty  soon   the  ducks   saw  the  fire 


WHY  DUCKS  HAVE  SHORT  TAILS  AND  THE  COON  MUST  GO  BAREFOOTED.     3 

and  started  for  the  shore.  They  stopped  every  little 
while  to  eat  something  floating  on  top  of  the  water — 
perhaps  a  frog,  some  wild  celery  or  rice — and  it  took 
them  a  long  time.  When  they  finally  reached  the 
shore  they  looked  around.  Everything  seemed  all 
right  there  ;  so  they  shook  the  water  off  their  backs, 
settled  their 
feathers  and 
then  shook 
their  fine  long 
tails. 

"  Ouack," 
said  the  lead- 
er. That 
surely  meant, 
"  Follow  me," 
in  their  lan- 
guage, for  all 
the  ducks  fol- 
lowed, and  such  a  quacking  you  never  heard  !  They 
were  not  at  all  polite;  but  all  talked  together,  each 
trying  to  tell  first  what  that  strange  light  might  mean. 

In  the  mean  while  the  big  fire  the  coon  had  built 
began  to  spread.  It  got  closer  and  closer  to  the  coon  ; 
but  he  did  not  dare  move,  lest  he  should  frighten 
the  ducks. 

"If  they  will  only  hurry  !  This  fire  is  burning 
my  feet.  I  can  stand  it  no  longer  !  "  and  up  jumped 
the  coon  on  the  rocks.  Then  he  ran  as  fast  as  he 
could  eo. 


4     WHY  DUCKS  HAVE  SHORT  TAILS  AND  THE  COON  MUST  GO  [iAREFOOTED. 

"  Quack!  "  cried  the  leader.  "  Quack,"  answered 
the  others,  and  they  ran  as  fast  as  their  waddh ng  little 
legs  would  carry  them.  The  coon  kept  getting  nearer 
and  nearer.  He  could  ran  much  faster  than  the 
ducks,  and  he  would  have  caught  them  if  the  fire  had 
not  got  quite  so  hot.  As  it  was  he  just  caught  the 
leader  by  his  beautiful  long  tail.  The  duck  was  so 
anxious  to  get  away  that  he  pulled  as  hard  as  he  could, 
and  the  tail  came  out.  Since  that  day  ducks  have 
short  tails. 

A  little  Indian  village  was  not  far  away,  and, 
when  the  boys  saw  this  big  fire  on  top  of  a  hill  in 
the  woods,  they  hurried  out  to  see  what  it  might 
mean.  When  they  reached  the  lake,  they  saw  the 
coon  standing  there  with  a  handful  of  feathers,  while 
the  ducks  and  their  leader  who  had  lost  his  beautiful 
tail  were  swimming  off.  How  the  boys  did  laugh  ! 
and  when  they  looked  at  the  coon's  hands  and  feet, 
they  were  bare.  He  had  left  the  hair  and  skin  where- 
ever  he  had  jumped  on  the  rocks. 

"  Now  you  will  alwa)'S  have  to  go  barefooted, 
because  you  play  so  many  mean  tricks  on  the  little 
animal  people  who  are  weaker  than  you  are."  And 
the  coon  has  had  to  go  barefooted  ever  since  as  a 
punishment. 

The  hair  and  skin  that  he  left  upon  the  rocks 
started  to  grow,  and  now  people  who  do  not  know 
what  they  really  are,   call  them  lichens  and  mosses. 


The  Punishment  of  the  Rabbit  for 
Disobeying. 


"  I  have  one  arrow  through  the  ring,  and  I  am 
going  to  try  to  beat  you  to-day.  Yesterday  I  was 
far  behind,  and  you  laughed  at  me  ;  now  I  will  catch 
up  and  may  get  ahead  ;  but  we  must  stop,  for  here 
comes  our  grandfather." 

Little    Indian    children   have   no  schools,   as  their 

white  brothers  have, 
and,  when  an  old  man 
of  the  tribe  happens 
on  a  group  of  chil- 
dren, he  stops  to  in- 
struct them  and  give 
them  good  advice. 

"  My  children,  lis- 
ten ! "  and  all  the 
children  left  their  play 
to  hear  all  the  old 
man  had  to  tell  them. 
*' You  must  always  be 
courageous,  above  all 
things  ;  but  you  must 
also  obey  your  parents  and  your  elders. 

"Your  grandmother  has  not  told  you  how  it  hap- 
pened that  the  rabbit  has  such  long  ears  ;  so  I  shall 
have  to,  for  I  heard  your  mother  calling  you  yester- 
day,  my  boy,  and   you    did    not   answer.      If   you   do 


^  # 


2  THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  THE  RAHIilT  I-OR  DISOBEYING. 

not  ol)c'\\  you  mav  l)c  i)unishccl,  cv^cn  as  was  the  ral)- 
bit   who   (h(l    not   ol)c\'   his   superiors. 

"  Listen  closely  and  reniemher!  A  very  long 
time  ai^'o  the  rabbit  had  short  ears.  One  morning 
the  owl,  who  is  a  very  w^ise  bird  and  was  the  head 
of  the  animal  people,  called  the  chiefs  of  all  the  dif- 
ferent animal  clans  to  council.  He  told  them  to  meet 
at  a  certain  place,  as  some  very  important  things  for 
the  welfare  of  the  animal   people  were  to  be  decided. 

"  At  the  appointed  time,  the  owl  went  to  the 
gathering  and  looked  o\'er  all  the  chiefs  to  see  if  any 
were   missing. 

"  '  Where  is  the  rabbit  ? '   he  asked. 

"  No  one  had  seen  him,  and  all  knew  he  had 
not  been   there. 

"  '  I  must  go  to  get  him  then,'  said  the  wise  old 
bird.  '  Rabbit  \  Rabbit  !  '  he  called,  but  the  rabbit 
was  hiding  in  a  hollow  log.  He  was  sleepy  and  did 
not  \vant  to  be  disturbed. 

"  *  Rabbit  !  Rabbit  ! '  called  the  owl  again,  and 
the  rabbit  thought,  '  I  will  pretend  I  am  asleep,  and,  if 
I   do  not  come,  they  will  hold  council  without  me.' 

*'  But  the  owl  called  again,  and  still  he  received 
no  answer.  '  Rabbit,  do  you  not  hear  me  call  ?'  Then 
the  owl  became  impatient  and  he  said,  '  Rabbit,  if 
you  do  not  obey,  and  come  to  council  at  once,  your 
ears  will  grow.  They  will  keep  on  growing,  too,  un- 
til you  answer  and  come.' 

"  The  rabbit  only  laughed  to  himself.  '  How  can 
that  stupid  owl  make  my  ears  grow,  I   should  like  to 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  THE  RABBIT  FOR  DISOBEYING. 

^      He  would  like  to  friuhten   me.  since  he 


e  to  frighten   me,  since  ne  can- 


Know  :      lie   would   11 

not  find   me  !  '  and   the   rabbit  did  not  answer. 

"  Pretty  soon  the  rabbit's  ears  began  to  feel  very 
queer.  '  What  can  be  the  matter  with  my  ears  ? '  he 
cried,  '  I  believe  they  are  really  growing.  What  shall 
I  do  ?  I  would  better  answer.  So  he  said,  '  I  hear, 
Owl  ;  I  hear.  I  am 
coming!'  and  he  went 
to  council. 

"  After  he  had  an- 
swered,  his  ears 
stopped  growing ;  but 
oh  !  how  the  animals 
laughed  when  they 
saw  him,  with  those 
great  long  ears ! 

"  The  rabbit  befreed 
the  owl  to  make  the 
ears  short    again,   but  ^  •  .j- 

he     would     not    be  -  "" 

coaxed,  and  the  rabbit  has  had  to  carry  long  ears  to 
this  day,  just  because  he  did  not  obey  the  owl. 

"  Now,   my  children,   you  must    obey  your  parents, 
or  your  ears  may  grow  long  like  the  rabbit's." 

The  children  sat  C[uietly  until  the  old  man  turned 
his  back  and  started  to  walk  away.  Then  they  went 
on  with  their  game,  each  resolving  that  his  ears  should 
not  grow  long. 


Why  the  Antelope  lost  his  Dew=CIaws  and 
the  Deer  his  Qall=Bag'. 


Many,  many  years  ago  the  antelope  and  the  deer 
used  to  visit  one  another,  but  whenever  they  met  they 
always  quarrelled  as  to  who  could  run  the  faster. 

In  those  days  the  little  red  people  used  to  play 
at  games  with  the  animal  people,  and  whenever  they 
heard  the  deer  and  the  antelope  quarrelling  they  would 
hurry  along,  hoping  to  see  the  two  friends  run  a  race, 
and  so  settle  the  dispute ;  but  they  were  always  dis- 
appointed,   and     never    dared    suggest    a    race,    for    it 

would  be  very 
wrong,  so  Indian 
mamas  and  papas 
say,  for  little  peo- 
ple to  tell  their 
elders  what  to  do. 
The  antelope 
always  lived  on 
-  _  the   prairies,  and 

the  deer  had  his 
home  in  the  wooded  lands  and  in  the  mountainous 
country,  where  he  was  regarded  as  very  fleet  of  foot. 
He  knew  he  could  outrun  any  of  the  animal  peoph 
living  near  his  home,  so  why  could  he  not  beat  the 
antelope  ? 

One  day  the  antelope  went  to  visit  the  deer. 
They  were  enjoying  each  other's  company  very  much, 


2     WHY  ANTELOPE  LOST  HIS  DEW-CLAWS  AND  THE  DEER  HIS  GALL-BAO. 

wlu-n.  !)}■  sonic  unhappy  accident,  or,  j)crhaps  mtcn- 
tionallv,  one  of  the  red  chikh'cn  who  had  gathered 
around   them   broufrht   the  race   into    the    conversation, 

"  I    know   I    can   beat  you,"   said   the  deer. 

The  antelope  answered:  "That  is  all  foohshness; 
I  can  run  much  faster  than  you.  I  will  het  my  dew- 
claws  that  I  can  beat  you  in  a  race."  "That  is  well; 
let  us  run,"   said   the  deer. 

So  off  they  started,  over  mountains  and  through 
the  thick  timber  and  brush. 

The  little  red  people,  who  had  always  been  beaten 
in  races  wath  the  deer,  knew  their  friend  would  win  ! 
Had  they  not  li\'ed  in  his  home  all  their  little  li\'es, 
and  had  they  not  seen  him  run  races  with  all  the 
animal  people  and  all  the  little  red  people?  The 
antelope  could  not  beat  the  deer!  But  this  race  was 
the  very  thing  they  had  hoped  for  so  long ;  now, 
every  one  should  know  who  could  run  the  faster,  and 
perhaps  the  trouble  between  the  antelope  and  the 
deer  would   stop  forever. 

The  race  was  shorter  than  the  little  people  had 
expected.  The  antelope  was  not  used  to  such  thick 
brush  and  dense  timber,  and  it  seemed  to  hold  him 
back.  Perhaps  the  brush  and  timber  did  not  want 
their  friend  the  deer  beaten,  and  made  it  hard  for  the 
antelope  to  push  through.  At  any  rate,  he  was  left 
way  behind  and  lost  the  race. 

"You  have  won,"  he  said,  turning  to  the  deer, 
"and  here  are  my  dew-claws;  but  come  and  visit  me 
in  my  home  on  the  prairie.     There   I   can  beat  you!" 


WHY  ANTELOPE  LOST  HIS  DEW=CLAWS  AND  THE  DEER  HIS  GALL-BAG.    3 


Since  that   day   the   antek^pe   has   no  dew-claws. 

The  httle  people  did  wish  they  could  go  with 
the  deer  when  he  went  to  \isit  the  antelope,  for  it 
would  be  such  fun  to  see  another  race.  But  they 
had  to  be  satisfied  to  leave  the  next  race  for  the  little 
red  people  who  lived  on   the  plains  to  see. 

When  the  antelope  reached  home,  he  was  very 
sad  and  told  his  little  red  brothers  and  his  little  ani- 
mal brothers  just  what  had  happened.  They  were 
all  very  sorry  for  the  poor  antelope,  and,  they  knew 
somethinq;  must  have  been  wronor;  for  no  animal  or 
boy  had  ever  beaten  him.  The  friends  watched  every 
day  for  the  deer,  and  soon  they  saw  him  coming 
over  the  prairie  to  visit  the  antelope. 

As  soon  as  the  antelope  had  welcomed  his  friend 
to  his  home,  he  began 
making  excuses  for  hav- 
insf  lost,  declarinor  that 
he  could  outrun  the 
deer  easily.  The  deer, 
because  he  had  beaten 
the  antelope  once, 
thought  it  would  be  an 
easy  task  to  do  so  again. 

"Very  well,"  he  said.  'T  will  bet  my  gall-bag 
that   I    can   run   faster  than  you." 

"Let  us  start!"  cried  the  antelope. 

The  little  red  people  were  very  desirous  of  seeing 
their  antelope  friend  beat  the  deer,  for  they  w^erc 
sure  he  could. 


1  >i 


4    WHY  ANTELOPE  LOST  HIS  DEW-CLAWS  AND  THE  DEER  HIS  OALL-liAU. 

Away  they  raced  over  the  prairies.  Poor  httle 
deer,  he  was  not  used  to  running  over  the  flat  prairies, 
and  in  the  open  country,  where  he  was  not  hindered 
by  brush  and  trees;  the  antelope  was  the  fleeter. 
The  deer  became  very  tired  and  lost  the  race ;  for, 
in  his  own  country,  the  antelope  could  outrun  any 
animal.  The  deer  handed  his  gall-bag  to  the  ante- 
lope,  and   to  this  day  he   has   none. 

The  little  red  brothers  were  happy  again,  and 
their  antelope  friend  was  no  longer  sad.  His  people 
had  seen   him  outrun  the  deer. 

Since  that  day  the  antelope  and  the  deer  have 
not  quarrelled  about  fleetness;  for  each  knows  that 
he  can  outrun  the  other  in   his  own   home. 


The  Little  Red  Boy  and  His  Wolf  Friend. 


A  small  band  of  Indians  went  into  the  forests  to 
hunt  one    summer,    and    among    them   were  a  young 

mother  and  her  little 
boy  who  was  just 
passing  his  sixth  sum- 
mer. The  m  other 
loved  her  boy  dearly, 
and  all  the  more  did 
she  love  him  because 
he  was  ill. 

When  she  went 
with  her  husband,  to  help  him  with  the  game  he  might 
kill,  she  left  her  baby  in  the  care  of  an  old  woman,  and 
told  her  to  look  after  the  little  one  well  until  she  should 
return  agam. 

At  such  times,  the  little  fellow  would  take  some 
food  in  his  little  hands,  and  wander  off  into  the  woods. 
It  was  not  long  before  he  became  acquamted  with  the 
annual  people,  and  he  loved  them  very  much  ;  but  the 
wolves  were  especially  kind  to  him,  and  would  talk  to 
him  or  play  all  day  long,  and  at  night  walk  with  him, 
almost  to  the  encampment ;  but  they  would  not  go  home 
with  the  boy,  because  they  knew  the  man  people  would 
shoot  them. 

One  morning,  when  the  beautiful  summer  had 
passed  by  and  the  blue  man  of  the  north,  as  the  Indian 
children  call  winter,  had  announced,  in  the  deep  \'oice 


a  THE  LITTLE  RED  BOY  AND  HIS  WOLF  FRIEND. 

of  the  West  Wind,  that  he  was  coming,  the  hunters  told 
the  people  that  thev  would  mo\'e  on  toward  home,  and 
that  the  old  people  and  l)o\s  should  pack  the  thmgs 
and  follow  with  the  children.  The  mother  bade  her 
boy  good-bve,  and  told  him  to  be  good,  sa\  ing  that  they 
would  soon  be  together  agam. 

When  all  were  ready  to  start,  the  bo)'  saw  the  old 
woman  })ut  on  her  moccasins,  and  he  asked,  "  When 
will  \'ou  ])ut  on  mv  moccasuis  ? "  "I  will  do  it 
soon,"  answered  the  woman,  but,  after  all  the  people 
had  gone,  she  left  camp.  "  You  have  not  put  on  my 
moccasins,"  said  the  boy  ;  but  the  woman  answered, 
"  I  am  not  going  to  put  on  your  moccasins,  I  am 
tired  taking  care  of  you.  You  will  never  be  a  big 
hunter."  He  was  afraid  when  he  saw  the  old  woman 
leave  him  all  alone,  and  tried  to  follow  her;  but  the 
snow  hurt  his  feet,  and  he  had  to  go  back.  "  How 
I  wish  I  had  gone  with  m\'  mother,"  he  thought  ; 
"  but  she  will  come  back,  and  my  father  will  come, 
when  they  see  I  have  been  left  behind."  So  he  sat 
down   to  wait. 

He  w^as  crying  bitterly — he  was  so  cold  and  hun- 
gry— when  he  felt  the  soft  fur  of  some  animal  rubbing 
against  his  bare  little  legs.  He  looked  up,  and  there 
was  his  friend,  the  wolf.  How  glad  he  was  to  see 
the  animal  !  and  the  wolf  told  him  to  stop  crying:— "I 
will  take  you  to  your  father  and  mother,  for  you  have 
been  kind  to  me." 

The  boy  was  glad  ;  he  jumped  upon  the  w^olf's 
back,  and  off  they  started   over   the    trail    the   Indians 


III  /l:^ 


THE  LITTLE  RED  BOY  AND  HIS  WOLF  FRIEND. 


had  made.  As  they  were  travelHng  along,  the  httle 
boy  saw  a  porcupine  in  a  tree.  "  Get  me  that  por 
CLipine,"  he  said ;  but  the  wolf  answered,  "  No,  it  will 
take  too  long,"  and  on  they  went.  Before  long  the 
boy  saw  a  rabbit.  "  Get  me  that  rabbit,  my  friend  ;  I 
am  so  hungr\-."  The  wolf  put  the  boy  on  the  ground 
and  caught  the  rabbit.  "  Cook  it,"  he  said,  and  when 
the  boy  had  cooked  the  rabbit,  he  turned  to  the  wolf 
and  asked,  "Which  part  do  you  like  best  ? "  and  the 
boy  gave  the  wolf  the  parts  he  wanted,  and  ate  the 
rest   himself.      Then   they  lay  down   to  sleep. 

In  the  morning,  they  started  on  their  journey 
again,  and  the  boy  used  the  rabbit  skin  to  cover  his 
feet,  so  they  should  not  be  so  cold.  The  wolf  travelled 
along  very  swiftly,  and,  just  at  night,  overtook  the 
camp.  He  carried  the  boy  to  his  father's  tepee,  and 
the  little  fellow  ran  in.  There  he  saw  his  father  and 
mother  mourning,  for  they  were  sad  because  the  old 
woman  told   them  their  boy  had  fallen  in,  in  crossing  a 

stream,  and  had  drowned  be- 
fore she  could  reach  him. 

When  they  saw  the  boy, 
they  were  glad,  and  asked  how 
he  had  got  to  them  again. 
"  The  wolf  brought  me,  and 
he  is  waiting  outside,"  an- 
swered the  boy.  "  Go  out 
and  ask  the  wolf  to  come  into  my  tepee,"  said  the 
father  to  the  woman  ;  but  the  wolf  would  not  come 
for  her,   so  she  said  :   "  I    see   some  one  out  there,   but 


4  THE  LITTLE  RED  BOY  AND  HIS  WOLF  FRIEND. 

I  don't  know  wlio  It  is."  "  Go,"  said  the  father  to 
his  son,  "  brini^  }'OLir  friend  in  "  ;  and  the  boy  per- 
suaded  the    wolf   to   go  with   him. 

When  he  was  In  the  tepee,  the  wolf  said  to  the 
^Id  woman  :  "  You  had  better  call  nie  '  some  one,' 
when  vou  are  no  one,  to  leave  that  poor  child  in  the 
cold,  to  starve  and  freeze,  because  vou  were  tired  of 
taking  care  of  hnri." 

The  father  and  mother  heard  what  the  wolf  said, 
and  then  they  knew  what  the  old  woman  had  done. 
They  were  very  angry,  and,  after  thanking  the  wolf 
for  his  kindness  to  their  boy,  they  gave  him  great 
quantities  of  meat  and  provisions  for  the  wmter.  Be- 
ft)re  he  left,  they  told  him  if  e\'er  he  were  in  need  of 
food  to  come  to  them,  and  they  would  give  him  part 
of  what  they  had.     Then  they  bade  him  good-bye. 

As  for  the  old  woman,  when  the  Indians  started 
for  home  next  day,  the  mother  took  her  boy  with  her ; 
but  leit  the  woman,  without  moccasins  or  provisions, 
to  perish  in  the  cold,  just  as  she  had  tried  to  have 
the  babv  do. 


The  Punishment  of  the  Otters. 


Once  there  were  four  brothers  who  always  lived 
In  the  forest.  The  three  eldest  brothers  hunted,  while 
the  youngest  one  stayed  behind  to  watch  the  camp, 
gather  firewood,  prepare  the  meals,  and  make  arrows. 
One  day,  while  the  young  brother  was  out  In  the 
swamps,  looking  for  wood  with  which  to  make  arrows, 

he  was  attracted  by 
a  queer  little  sound, 
as  if  a  woman 
were  singing.  He 
looked  around  and 
found  a  beautiful 
young  Indian  girl, 
sitting  under  a  tree. 
"What  are  you 
doing  alone,  away 
out  here  In  the  forests?"  he  asked. 

The  girl  answered  that  she  had  no  home  and 
was  only  wandering  about ;  so  the  young  hunter  asked 
her  to  go  home  with  him,   but  the  girl  was  afraid. 

"  My  brothers  and  I  have  a  lodge  In  the  forest, 
If  you  will  share  It  with  us,  you  can  be  our  sister 
and  we  will  be  very  kind  to  you, "  urged  the  young 
red   man. 

At  last,  the  girl  decided  to  go  with  him,  and 
they  walked  along  until  they  reached  the  lodge,  which 
was  to  be  this  young  girl's  new  home. 


a  THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  THE  OTTERS. 

When  the  brothers  came  home  and  saw  their  new 
sister,  the\-  were  glad  to  welcome  and  provide  for  her 
as   the\-   had   nex'er   had   a   sister  of  their   own. 

The  new  sister  did  all  their  work  and  cooked  for 
them,  and  it  was  not  long  before  they  lov^ed  her  very 
dearl}'.  The  youngest  brother  was  always  left  at  home 
to  make  arrows  for  the  hunters  and  to  take  care  of  the 
sister. 

One  day  after  the  young  red  man  had  used  all 
his  arrow  wood,  he  said  to  his  sister:  "I  must  leave 
you  for  a  little  while  to-day,  my  sister;  I  must  search 
for  wood.  Lie  on  your  bed  of  furs  and  rest  until  I 
come  back,"  and   then   he   started  toward  the  swamp. 

He  was  gone  longer  than  he  expected.  He  knew 
the  lodge  was  safe  and  that  he  need  not  hurry,  for 
had  he  not  a  sister  at  home  who  would  prepare  the 
evening  meal  for  his  hungry  brothers  ? 

When  the  brothers  reached  home,  they  saw  no 
smoke  from  the  fire,  so  they  hurried  along,  calling, 
"Sister,  Sister";  but  she  did  not  answer.  They 
rushed   into  the  lodge ;     she  was  gone ! 

In  search  of  her  they  went  over  the  mountains 
and  far  into  the  plains,  but  finding  no  trace  of  her, 
they  returned  to  their  lodge  and  lay  down  for  a  little 
rest.  They  had  all  fallen  asleep  but  the  eldest  brother, 
and  he  lay  awake,  trying  to  think  if  there  were  any 
places  they  had  not  searched,  when  he  heard  some  one 
weeping. 

"Brothers,"  he  called  softly,  "I  think  I  hear  our 
sister  crying.      Listen!" 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  THE  OTTERS. 


The}'  listened,  and  surely  they  heard  her  in  their 
own  lodge ;  the  eldest  brother  gently  lifted  her  bed  of 
furs ;  but,  instead  of  finding  his  sister  under  it,  he 
found  a  great   hole,   wide  enough   to  crawl   through. 

The  sound  seemed  to  come  from  this  hole,  and 
he  said:  "Stay  here,  while  I  find  out  whither  this 
hole  leads." 

The  young  man  crept  along  very  carefully,  and 
each  step  seemed  to  brmg  him  closer  and  closer  to 
the  sound,  until  the  hole  opened  into  a  large  room, 
and  there,  lying  tightly  bound  with  ropes  made  from  the 
wild  grapevine,   was  the   poor  sister  crying  \'ery  hard. 

"  How  did  you  get  down  here,  my  sister?"  asked 
the  young  man.  "Our  youngest  brother  left  me  in 
the  lodge  while  he  went  to  gather  wood  for  arrows. 
I  was  lying  on  my  skin  bed,  when  the  otters  dug  a 
hole  and  pulled  me  through 
the  ground. 

"There  are  four  otter 
brothers.  One  is  white,  and, 
when  he  enters,  a  white  light 
flashes  from  his  eyes  into  the 
room ;  the  red  otter  casts  a 
red  light  over  everything;  the 
yellow  brother  throws  a  yellow  light; 
comes  the  black  otter.  He  has  no  light,  and  is  the 
poorest.  The  other  otters  have  all  been  cruel  to  me, 
and,  if  it  had  not  been  for  their  poor  little  black 
brother,  I  should  not  be  alive 
SOU])  when   the  other's  were  away. 


and  last  of  all 


He  brought  food  and 


THE  PUNISHMENT  OF  THE  OTTERS. 


"Aly  poor  little  sister!  II a\c  courage  for  a  little 
while,  and  I  will  return  and  punish  the  wicked  otters." 
The   Indian   went  back  to  the   lodge. 

"Brothers,"  said  he,  "the  otters  have  stolen  our 
sister!      Come,   \vc  will   })unish   them." 

Each  took  a  heavy  club,  and  they  went  dowm 
to  the  sister's  prison.  First  they  unbound  their  sister, 
and  then  they  waited;  at  last  they  heard  a  slight 
noise;  then  there  came  a  white  light.  Up  went  the 
clubs,   and   soon  the  white  otter  was  dead. 

In  a  short  time  the  room  began  to  brighten  with 
a  soft  red  light.  The  red  brother  was  coming,  and 
the  hunters  w^ere  ready  for  him. 

The  yellow  light  was  already  upon  them,  and 
the  yellow  otter  might  have  escaped  had  he  suspected 
any  danger,  but  the  brothers  were  quick,  and  the 
three  wicked  otter  brothers  were  dead. 

The  black  otter  took  longer  to  come;  he  was 
carrying  some  food  for  the  poor  prisoner.  The  brothers 
could  hear  him ;  but,  as  he  gave  no  light,  they  did 
not  know  how  close  he  might  be.  They  waited  quietly, 
and  at  last  they  saw  him  stick  his  head  through  the 
opening,  when  they  caught  him  with  their  hands  and 
soon   they  w^ere  all   on   their  way  to  the   upper  w^orld. 

The  black  otter  was  unhappy,  for  he  did  not  like 
being  a  prisoner  and  asked  the  brothers  to  let  him  go. 

"Yes,"  said  the  eldest  brother,  "because  you  were 
kind  to  our  sister,  we  will  take  pity  on  you,  and  free  you." 

Since  then  all  the  otter  people  have  been  black, 
because  he  was  the  father  of  all   otters. 


^^  IN  It  I A  T    -n       ~~ 
OVERDUE.       °    ""O    ON    -^HE    6e^';^;°"''TH 


n  / 


co3iaiQ'=i6^ 


M57,'503 


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